Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-04-27

from all portions Of the United States.
| It feels itself 80 greatly the object OF
imposition that it is organizing it's COM
mittee of one hundred in defense of home
rights.
If the diatrict of Columbia has reach
ed that period IN its experience when the
vast compensation Of capital honors and
emoluments fails to atone for it's con.
dition of local subiection TO national con-
troll, what descriptive adjectiyes cen be
applied to adequately portray the status
of the territories? Tie territories are not
only denied all the benefits arising from
a confederated government, but are com
PEELED to contribute from their substance
to the support of that government. in
cluding the district of Columbia and all
its costly attachments. The local affairs
of the territories are subordinated to the
will Of the executive of the nation, tax
alton is exacted from the people of the
territories, they are denied representa-
ton and the ballot and are dismissed
with rebuke if they apply for the ele-
vation of one OF their own number to
territorial position. Ii the district
of Columbia needs committee OF one
hundred through which to protect itself
against the impositions of the national
head, the proportIoDate allowance to one
OF tho territories might be correctly rep-
resented by committee OF one hundred
thousand. That is, provided such com
mittees are valuable according to their
numbers. There IL in Washington q
democrat who has served as delegate in
congress from one OF the territories. His
name is not given, but his utterances up !.
on this subject are made public and they
are SO much 10 the point that we quote
them:
1t may seem queer that the people Of
the territories should find it necessary to
organize to proteoS themselves against
the federal government, yet that is Just
what we find ourselves compelled to do,
Our territories have grown 80 rapidly
and our business interests have reached
such magnitude that it is of vital inter-
est to us that our business affairs should
be In the hands of men whose knowledge
of local affairs is absolute and who can
not be misled by schemsrs. We We have
not time to whine and say that we have
been betrayed by the administration, for
we readily recognize that the enuucia-
tions of party platforms in national con-
ventions relative to territorial offices
going to local talent were but sop
thrown to our people to secure their en-
dorsements, and it would have required
more than good faith on the part of the
president to have carried out such an
idea; but the time has arrived when we
can no longer allow ourselves to be ig-
nored and our offices dealt out IN pay
menS OF party services TO people whose
| highest idea of territorial life is deerskin
| leggins, revolvers, profanity, wooden
shirts, whisky, poker and swagger, and
we must begin to look out for ourselves.
| There is no exaggeration in this por-
frayal of the situation. The evil has
become one which directly affects the
prosperity and happiness of the terri.
sories and is an evil to be no longer
borne in silence. The understanding
among the several territories is
that they shall organize themselves
into a compact unit for
aggressive action lin the coming
national conventions and demand some
thing more potent than platform pledges
which barely outlive campaign. a
territory single handed is not an effee-
tive factor in national convention,
but the combined votes OF the territories
will possess an influence OF greater
weight than the proposed committee
of one hundred in the district OF Colum.
bia. This is the first proposed step
towards the aborogation of the perni-
cious customs of the past and present.
The only atom of actual influence
possessed by the territories is in the
nationa! political gatherings, and the
little they have should be used judici-
ously and unitedly.
: il,